Law School Teaching Awards

Voted by Penn Law students, Dr. Matthew Adler, professor of law, received the 2006 Harvey Levin Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence. Dr. Adler holds a B.A. and J.D. from Yale University and an M.Litt in modern history from Oxford University. He was a law clerk to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court and to Judge Harry Edwards, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He joined the Penn Law faculty in 1995.

Dr. Adler is well known as a prolific and respected scholar in the areas of constitutional law, administrative law, regulation, and legal theory. Since coming to Penn, he has authored over 40 articles, and he is the co-author of “Foundations of Cost Benefit Analysis” (forthcoming 2007).

One student’s evaluation exemplifies why Dr. Adler won this award. “Adler makes apparent that for some professors, teaching approaches an art form. He is skillful and masterful in his presentation and ability to draw students out.”

Associate Dean Michael Knoll bestowed the following teaching awards for 2005-2006 on the basis of teaching evaluations:

Dr. Seth Kreimer, Kenneth W. Gemmill Professor of Law, has been named this year’s winner of the A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in an Introductory Course for his course on Constitutional Law. Dr. Kreimer, who specializes in this area as well as civil rights and constitutional litigation, joined the Penn Law faculty in 1981. He holds a B.A. and J.D. from Yale University and was a law clerk to Judge Arlin M. Adams, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

A sample quotation captures what many of the students wrote about his knowledge and enthusiasm in the classroom. “…was one of the most engaging, stimulating, and well-run classes I have ever experienced. I truly looked forward to each class session and was both challenged and highly satisfied with the knowledge gained. I can’t say enough good things about the course and Professor Kreimer.”

Dr. R. Polk Wagner, professor of law, has been awarded the Robert A. Gorman Award for Excellence in Teaching for his courses, “Introduction to Intellectual Property Law and Policy” and “Patent Law.”

Dr. Wagner is a nationally recognized expert on intellectual property, internet/cyberspace law, and constitutional law. He holds a B.S. from the College of Charleston, a B.S.E. from the University of Michigan, and a J.D. from Stanford University. He joined the Penn Law faculty in 2000. He was a law clerk to Judge Clevenger, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Student comments praise Professor Wagner as “I haven’t had a teacher at any level with such a strong grasp of the material or who is so effective at running a class in an highly interactive manner” or “Prof. Wagner was very enthusiastic about the subject, which made the class very lively and engaging” and “He’s an excellent presenter and does a great job keeping the class engaged.”

Dr. Osagie Imasogie, lecturer in law, has been named the winner of the Adjunct Teaching Award for his course “Intellectual Property and National Economic Value Seminar.” Dr. Imasogie holds an LL.B. from University of Life, Nigeria, a B.L. from Nigeria Law School, an LL.M. from both the London School of Economics and Penn Law. He is a co-founder of Phoenix IP Ventures, an IP venture capital firm based in Philadelphia and has over 24 years of professional experience in business and law covering the healthcare/pharmaceutical industry, corporate law, intellectual property, international business and financial consulting.

“This is one of the best, if not the best, class that I took at Penn Law.” “Professor Imasogie is very passionate about IP law and this carries over to his students in class.”